Summary Sentence:William H. Foege, an epidemiologist who worked in the successful campaign to eradicate smallpox in the 1970s, will receive the Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage.

Full Summary:The 2012 Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts Founder's Day Awards Luncheon celebrating the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of Ivan Allen Jr. as mayor of Atlanta and honoring William H. Foege as the recipient of the Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage.

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William H. Foege(image/jpeg)

Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts 2012 Founder's Day Awards Luncheon and Presentation of the Georgia Tech Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage to Dr. William H. Foege

The 2012 Founder's Day will celebrate a watermark in the history of Atlanta, the state of Georgia, and the international human rights dialog – the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of Ivan Allen, Jr. as Mayor of Atlanta from 1962-1970.

Mayor Allen was a man undeterred by the seemingly insurmountable challenge of changing the racially segregated socio-economic system of the old south. His belief in social justice and in transforming racial paradigms led him to risk everything to act as an ally in insuring the civil rights of all citizens and as a pivotal advocate for the making of a new more vibrant south.

The Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts Founder’s Day highlights our ongoing work engaging the citizens of Atlanta, our state and nation, and the global community in the Allen legacy of socially and ethically conscious action. In 2012, we will bring that legacy vibrantly to life by honoring a man who, for 60 years, has transformed human health around the world and in so doing, like Mayor Allen, has helped to transform our paradigm of what is possible. Georgia Tech President, G. P. “Bud” Peterson and Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts Dean Jaqueline J. Royster will present the Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage to William H. Foege. The Ivan Allen Jr. Legacy Awards will be presented to faculty and students.

During a career spanning 60 years, Dr. Foege championed domestic and international health policies emphasizing disease eradication and control, and issues of child survival and development, injury prevention, population control, preventive medicine, and public health leadership, particularly in the developing world. Through leadership roles at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), The Carter Center and the Task Force for Child Survival, Foege guided early response to the HIV/AIDS crisis; oversaw the eradication of Guinea worm disease, polio and measles, and the elimination of river blindness overseas; and advocated policies that vastly accelerated childhood immunization in developing countries. He is also credited with bringing to life visions for global health at both The Carter Center and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Dr. Foege's vision for global health will also be highlighted during the Allen Prize Symposium: Global Health and the Challenge of Hope on Wednesday, March 14, 2012, 2:00 pm – 4:30 pm at the Historic Academy of Medicine at Georgia Tech, 875 West Peachtree Street N.W., Atlanta, Georgia 30309. A Reserach Roundtable focusing on global health will be held Thursday, March 14, 9:00-11:30am at The Biltmore Imperial Ballroom.